A woman from Essex has been fined Â£50 ($77) for littering after grooming her dogs in a local park.

Mum-of-two Tracey Hayes was given an on-the-spot fine by two council wardens who saw her leave clumps of dog hair in Harrow Lodge Park in Hornchurch, Essex, reports the Romford Recorder.

Hayes, who was waiting for her sons to finish playing football at the time of the alleged offence, said that one warden blocked her car as she was trying to leave, stopping her from getting out and clearing up the hair.

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Another warden, meanwhile, took photos of the supposed litter.

"What has disappointed me most was he was going to give me that fine no matter what, even though I offered to clear it up," Hayes said.

"I always leave the dogs' hair out in my garden for the birds and I haven't met a single person to say anything against it."

Hayes also claimed that the wardens then left the scene without picking up the hair themselves.

Andrew Curtin, Havering Council's cabinet member for culture, towns and communities, subsequently defended the fine, saying: "Responsible dog owners groom their pets at home or in their garden, not in public spaces, and especially not in our parks.

"Littering anywhere in the borough incurs a fine, whether it's a single cigarette butt or clumps of dog hairs in a public space."